Alamo Bowl storylines: Texas native Michael Wiley concludes mercurial Arizona career in home state

SAN ANTONIO — Five storylines for No. 14 Arizona's late-night matchup on Thursday with No. 12 Oklahoma on Thursday in the Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome to wrap up the season.

1. Texas trio returns home

Three scholarship Wildcats will have a homecoming for the Valero Alamo Bowl and attract a large contingent of spectators: senior running back Michael Wiley, redshirt sophomore Dalton Johnson and junior kicker Tyler Loop.

Wiley, a Houston native, is expecting about 20 supporters in attendance for the Alamo Bowl. Johnson, a Katy, Texas native who signed with the Wildcats in 2021, said he has secured roughly 35 tickets for family members and close friends. 

"But with all that being said, it's just exciting to be here with my brothers and be able to put on a show for my family," Johnson said.   

For Wiley, "I'm super excited," he said. "It's a blessing to be my last year and have a bowl game."

Thursday will likely be the largest crowd he's played in front of in Texas. In the 2018 season opener, Wiley and Strake Jesuit High School beat rival St. Thomas Catholic in front of "maybe 30,000 people" at NRG Stadium in Houston. 

Unlike Johnson and Loop, Wiley — he's a product of Tyler, Texas, about 100 miles east of Dallas — will play in his final collegiate football game after five seasons with the Wildcats. Wiley signed with Arizona to join then-head coach Kevin Sumlin's first official recruiting class in 2019. Wiley's first three seasons included a global pandemic, a coaching change and the introduction to the transfer portal and the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) era. Oh, and throw a 20-game losing streak in there, too. 

"It was a s*** show in the beginning," Wiley joked. "But it's better. I'm just grateful to be here and be in this situation right now and speaking on what's right." 

It wasn't always "right" for Wiley. Although he was a multi-year starter at Arizona and became the top pass-catching running back in school history, along with tallying eight total touchdowns in the Territorial Cup rivalry, he endured adversity and developed "perseverance," he said. He had every opportunity to run either through the portal or maybe even the NFL Draft. But he didn't.  

"When I first got here it wasn't too bad, but then it started to decline," Wiley said. "For me, I'm not the type of person to just get up and leave. One thing my dad told me before I went to college that stuck with me was, 'As a man, sometimes you might not make the best decisions, but you're defined on how you can make it work.' Bringing that back to here, I have the mindset of, 'It might not be the best situation, but you just have to make it work.'"

And he did. But Wiley has one last hurrah before he checks out for the final time as a Wildcat. 

"It's time to go to work," Wiley said. "That's always on my mind. ... Hopefully my legacy is solidified here."

2. Fisch 'all for' coach-to-player communication in helmets

In the wake of Michigan's sign-stealing scandal from earlier this season, the NCAA cleared the path for 14 bowl games to experiment coach-to-player communication from "CoachComm" headsets to helmets, a method used in the NFL, which is expected to become the norm in college football starting in 2024.

Despite the enhanced version of coaches talking with their quarterback or a select player on defense, "I'm not going to start that right now," said Oklahoma offensive coordinator Seth Littrell.

"We're not doing that," he said. "We haven't used them before.

"It's neither here nor there. I'm not saying I'm against it, but for us to use it for the first game right now, it doesn't make a lot of sense."

Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch, a 14-year NFL coaching veteran, is "all for that," but won't test it for the bowl game either.

"It's nice to get back to that," Fisch said. "I think we'll be kicking that off in the first game of next year, from what I understand. We're not going to be using it in this game. We will very much be using it, as far as I'm aware, starting the first game of next year. That will give everybody spring football, training camp to work any kinks out."

Like the NFL, Fisch thinks "they need to legislate it."

In the NFL, the radio receivers in players' helmets are shut off once there's 15 seconds left on the play clock. One offensive and defensive player have radio receivers in helmets, a contrast to the eight helmets that were tinkered with for the Independence Bowl between Cal and Texas Tech. Both teams had two receivers on offense for the starting and backup quarterbacks, along with six on defense: two linebackers, a safety and their backups.  

"You shouldn't be in someone's ear for 30 seconds or when they're standing over the ball," Fisch said. "I think that will be a distraction more than a help. The NFL has got a lot of things figured out. This is another thing I think they have figured out. Cut the thing off at 25 seconds, give a coach 15 seconds to talk, then move on.

"I think if we could do that, get this legislated properly, put it in one person's helmet, not 11, we have a great chance of being successful here. If we do it the other way, I think it will cause more harm than good."

3. Family ties

The Stoops family name is revered in Norman, Oklahoma. Bob Stoops, a national championship-winning head coach at OU, led the Sooners for 17 seasons and won 10 Big 12 (Arizona's future conference) championships.

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Stoops' younger brother and former UA head coach Mike Stoops was an associate head coach and defensive coordinator for a combined 12 years in two different stints at Oklahoma. At Arizona, Stoops was fired after eight-plus seasons at the helm, leading the Wildcats to three bowl appearances, including the 2010 Alamo Bowl, and one postseason victory in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl; that snapped the program's 10-year bowl drought. A brutal skid to end the 2010 season coupled with a rocky start in '11 resulted in Stoops' dismissal.

Stoops' nephew Drake Stoops, who was 11 years old when his uncle was fired by the UA, is currently Oklahoma's leading receiver with 78 catches, 880 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

When asked about his fiery dad and uncle, OU's top pass-catcher said, “Patience isn’t always the virtue that they possess, especially my Uncle Mike."

"He’s honest as all get-out," Stoops said. "Sometimes too honest, which is a good thing.”

4. Arizona 'needed better leadership' in last Alamo Bowl appearance

The last and only time the Wildcats were in the Alamo Bowl was in 2010, when Arizona was blasted 36-10 by an Oklahoma State team led by quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

That was Mike Stoops' last full season at the helm, before he was fired halfway through the 2011 season.

Former Arizona cornerback Trevin Wade, who started in the 2010 Alamo Bowl, joined "Spears and Ali" on ESPN Tucson leading up to the '23 Alamo Bowl. 

How do you reflect on your time playing in the Alamo Bowl?

A: "I thought it was cool. I know we were missing a few coaches, so it was hard when you're doing that and for everyone to stay focused with the distractions. At the end of the day, we were still kids, so we just needed better leadership to keep everyone focused."

Arizona started the 2010 season 7-1 and then lost five straight to end the season; what happened?

A: "We had some injuries at key positions and even though guys tried to play, they couldn't make the plays like they did in the first half of the season. When that happens, it's hard to win."

Let's say Fisch calls you and asks you, 'How do I keep the guys focused for the Alamo Bowl?' What do you tell them?

A: "Let the guys have fun. It's the holiday season. The first thing you're thinking about as a kid is being at home with family. You're missing a first or a second — or a third — Christmas. Just make sure the guys are enjoying it. Keep it business, but also have some fun in there."

What did your time at Arizona teach you?

A: "It taught me to persevere through things and that kind of stuff is going to happen. One thing I do now, and I kinda started it in the NFL, is give myself a self-talk in the morning. 'Hey, something is going to come up and we're going to get through it. Life happens.' ... It felt like I was losing my coaches every year. Then of course Mike Stoops my senior year in the middle of the season. It just taught me that life happens and curveballs are going to come; you just have to take it and keep going."

What are your thoughts on the current state of the program?

A: "I love how he implemented the older players coming back, because we never had that. We actually formed an alumni group chat with, like, 60 guys in it. We talk all the time how cool it is that he brings ex-players back. That kept us in contact with the program and now we have our own group chat. We're super supportive and it's going good." 

5. 'We only get this team one time'

After left tackle Jordan Morgan, who opted out of the Alamo Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft, Arizona slot receiver Jacob Cowing is among the list of players expected to hear his name called during the three-day draft. 

Cowing, who transferred from UTEP in 2022, has 308 career catches for 4,318 yards and 31 touchdowns, the most among active FBS players. He's caught at least one pass in 56 straight games, the second-most among active FBS players behind Coastal Carolina's Sam Pinckney (57).

In the opt-out era, Cowing refrained from following Morgan's lead and avoiding the risk of injury. 

"Something that kind of hit home with me and what Coach Fisch talked about a long time ago in fall camp was, 'We only get this team one time.' We got seniors on the team that are leaving, so I wanted to finish off the season with this team," said Cowing, who played high school football in Maricopa, just outside Phoenix. "What we've been able to accomplish this year, it's been a special turnaround for the program. I grew up being a U of A fan, so getting to where we are today, I want to finish it and go out on a bang with this team."

Cowing's two seasons with the Wildcats "really taught me how to be a professional at the end of the day."

"Those two years and going through those experiences helped me prepare for the next steps and chapters in my life," he said. "I'm ready for that next chapter in my life. I'm ready to go out and start training and fulfill my dreams."

While El Paso is an eight-hour drive from San Antonio, playing for Arizona in the state of Texas — in his last-ever college football game — will be a "full-circle moment" for Cowing.

"It's been a fun ride, a good college experience," he said. "I'm just cherishing the last few days here in San Antonio and sharing the moments with my teammates and coaching staff and just loving everything and just go out there and play some ball."